Chinese tech giant Huawei said Wednesday it had filed a motion in a U.S. court seeking to challenge United States legislation that places it on a trade blacklist, which it called “illegal.”
“Politicians in the U.S. are using the strength of an entire nation to come after a private company. This is not normal. Almost never seen in history.”— Huawei chief legal officer Song Liuping statement
Why it matters: Huawei is the second leading provider of Android devices, next to Samsung. If the ban stands, network operators that use Huawei gear and owners of Huawei phones could have found themselves quickly vulnerable to security or other issues, with the tech company barred from helping resolve them.
The big picture: Huawei filed a lawsuit in March challenging the constitutionality of he National Defense Authorization Act, which keeps it from selling its telecommunications gear in the U.S. President Trump stepped up pressure this month by issuing an executive order prohibiting U.S. firms from using telecom services that are solely owned, controlled, or directed by a foreign adversary, clearing the way for a ban on Huawei.
- The U.S. and other governments have accused China of sabotaging Huawei equipment to use for espionage and of profiting from stolen intellectual property, but Song said there’s no evidence to show that the firm is a security threat. “There is no gun, no smoke. Only speculation,” he said.
- Song said the new U.S. ban set a “dangerous precedent.”
“Today it’s telecoms and Huawei. Tomorrow it could be your industry, your company, your consumers.”
